Baker Sports Roundup

SOFTBALL - At the end of a grueling stretch of games, Baker had its eight-game winning streak broke by Culver-Stockton 2-0 on Sunday. It had been the Cats 11th game of the week. Baker is tied for fourth with Culver-Stockton in the latest Heart of America Athletic Conference standings and is eighth among Region V teams.

Baker started the winning streak on Tuesday by sweeping Haskell Indian Nations University 7-1 and 11-3. The Cats swept MidAmerica Nazarene University 3-1 and 4-3 on Wednesday. Baker started off the conference Divisional Tournament with three wins on Friday against Missouri Valley College (3-2), Lindenwood University (5-4), and conference leader Evangel University (3-0). The Cats upset Central Methodist 3-2 on Saturday before falling to Culver-Stockton later in the day.

Elaine Meyer, freshman from Wichita, batted .423 over the week to raise her batting average to .300, third-best on the team. Erin Patterson, freshman from Hutchison, batted .368 in the 11 games. Pitcher Megan Nelson, sophomore from Marysville, had a 1.16 ERA in six complete games, including the shutout of Evangel.

Baker swept St. Marys 9-2 and 4-0 in the Cats last home game of the year. The team will now prepare for the conference tournament on Friday and Saturday in Springfield, Mo.

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD - Angie Heffner, freshman from Baldwin City, broke her own school record in the pole vault at the Kansas Relays on Saturday. Heffner, who had reached 10-6 twice this season, cleared 10-11.75 at the Relays. She finished 12th. Candace Fortney, senior from El Dorado Springs, Mo., scored 3,857 points in the heptathlon at the Relays to finish 10th.

Jenny Schultz, sophomore from Sun City, Ariz., finished second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:49.49 at the Mule Relays in Warrensburg, Mo., on Friday. Morgan Ouimette, junior from Grandview, took second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:55.7. Molly Humphries, sophomore from Topeka, finished third in the 400-meter hurdles, Katie Hennes, senior from Topeka, finished fourth in the 800-meter run, and Renee Sudduth, junior from Harveyville, finished fourth in the hammer.

The Wildcats will compete at the UMKC Invitational in Kansas City on Saturday, then host the Heart of America Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships next Friday and Saturday at the Hey/Metzker track.

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD - Jerry Baker, sophomore from Morrowville, set a school record in the decathlon at the Kansas Relays on Wednesday and Thursday. Baker scored 6,081 points to finish eighth overall. The old record, set in 1972 by Brent Wright, was 5,794 points. Eric Schwarz, junior from Baldwin City, finished eighth in the javelin at the KU Relays with a throw of 186-11.

Kevin Schmidt, junior from Mission, broke two minutes in the 800-meter run at the Mule Relays in Warrensburg, Mo., on Friday. Schmidt finished 13th out of 40 competitors with a time of 1:59.94. Jimmy Gillispie, freshman from Baldwin City, finished eighth in his first 10,000-meter run of the year with a time of 35:09.6.

The Wildcats will compete at the UMKC Invitational in Kansas City on Saturday, then host the Heart of America Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships next Friday and Saturday at the Hey/Metzker track.

MEN'S TENNIS - Baker defeated Heart of America Athletic Conference rival Lindenwood University 5-1 in a rain-shortened match on Saturday in St. Charles, Mo. The Cats have a 5-1 record and are undefeated in conference play. Baker won all the double matches and also had singles wins by John Henderson, freshman from Oklahoma City, Okla., and Blake Glover, freshman from Baldwin City. Baker swept Benedictine 9-0 at home on Wednesday.

The Wildcats will compete in the conference tournament in Springfield, Mo., on Friday and Saturday. The conference champion will play McKendree College the following weekend, with the winner getting a berth in the NAIA national tournament.